her was given in the long and bloody persecution of the Waldenses, some of
whom were observers of the Sabbath. Others suffered in a similar manner
for their fidelity to the fourth commandment. The history of the churches
of Ethiopia and Abyssinia is especially significant. Amid the gloom of the
Dark Ages, the Christians of Central Africa were lost sight of and
forgotten by the world, and for many centuries they enjoyed freedom in the
exercise of their faith. But at last Rome learned of their existence, and
the emperor of Abyssinia was soon beguiled into an acknowledgment of the
pope as the vicar of Christ. Other concessions followed. An edict was
issued forbidding the observance of the Sabbath under the severest
penalties.(1015) But papal tyranny soon became a yoke so galling that the
Abyssinians determined to break it from their necks. After a terrible
struggle, the Romanists were banished from their dominions, and the
ancient faith was restored. The churches rejoiced in their freedom, and
they never forgot the lesson they had learned concerning the deception,
the fanaticism, and the despotic power of Rome. Within their solitary
realm they were content to remain, unknown to the rest of Christendom.
The churches of Africa held the Sabbath as it was held by the papal church
before her complete apostasy. While they kept the seventh day in obedience
to the commandment of God, they abstained from labor on the Sunday in
conformity to the custom of the church. Upon obtaining supreme power, Rome
had trampled upon the Sabbath of God to exalt her own; but the churches of
Africa, hidden for nearly a thousand years, did not share in this
apostasy. When brought under the sway of Rome, they were forced to set
aside the true and exalt the false sabbath; but no sooner had they
regained their independence than they returned to obedience to the fourth
commandment.(1016)
These records of the past clearly reveal the enmity of Rome toward the
true Sabbath and its defenders, and the means which she employs to honor
the institution of her creating. The word of God teaches that these scenes
are to be repeated as Roman Catholics and Protestants shall unite for the
exaltation of the Sunday.
The prophecy of Revelation 13 declares that the power represented by the
beast with lamb-like horns shall cause “the earth and them which dwell
therein” to worship the papacy—there symbolized by the beast “like unto a
leopard.” The beast with two horns is also to say “to them that dwell on
the earth, that they should make an image to the beast;” and, furthermore,
it is to command all, “both small and great, rich and poor, free and
bond,” to receive “the mark of the beast.”(1017) It has been shown that
the United States is the power represented by the beast with lamb-like
horns, and that this prophecy will be fulfilled when the United States
shall enforce Sunday observance, which Rome claims as the special
acknowledgment of her supremacy. But in this homage to papacy the United
States will not be alone. The influence of Rome in the countries that once
acknowledged her dominion, is still far from being destroyed. And prophecy
foretells a restoration of her power. “I saw one of his heads as it were
wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world
wondered after the beast.”(1018) The infliction of the deadly wound points
to the downfall of the papacy in 1798. After this, says the prophet, “His
deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.” Paul
states plainly that the man of sin will continue until the second
advent.(1019) To the very close of time he will carry forward his work of
deception. And the revelator declares, also referring to the papacy, “All
that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written
in the book of life.”(1020) In both the Old and the New World, the papacy
will receive homage in the honor paid to the Sunday institution, that
rests solely upon the authority of the Roman Church.
For more than half a century, students of prophecy in the United States
have presented this testimony to the world. In the events now taking place
is seen a rapid advance toward the fulfilment of the prediction. With
Protestant teachers there is the same claim of divine authority for
Sunday-keeping, and the same lack of scriptural evidence, as with the
papal leaders who fabricated miracles to supply the place of a command
from God. The assertion that God’s judgments are visited upon men for
their violation of the Sunday-sabbath, will be repeated; already it is
beginning to be urged. And a movement to enforce Sunday observance is fast
gaining ground.
Marvelous in her shrewdness and cunning is the Roman Church. She can read
what is to be. She bides her time, seeing that the Protestant churches are
paying her homage in their acceptance of the false sabbath, and that they
are preparing to enforce it by the very means which she herself employed
in bygone days. Those who reject the light of truth will yet seek the aid
of this self-styled infallible power to exalt an institution that
originated with her. How readily she will come to the help of Protestants
in this work, it is not difficult to conjecture. Who understands better
than the papal leaders how to deal with those who are disobedient to the
church?
The Roman Catholic Church, with all its ramifications throughout the
world, forms one vast organization, under the control, and designed to
serve the interests, of the papal see. Its millions of communicants, in
every country on the globe, are instructed to hold themselves as bound in
allegiance to the pope. Whatever their nationality or their government,
they are to regard the authority of the church as above all other. Though
they may take the oath pledging their loyalty to the state, yet back of
this lies the vow of obedience to Rome, absolving them from every pledge
inimical to her interests.
History testifies of her artful and persistent efforts to insinuate
herself into the affairs of nations; and having gained a foothold, to
further her own aims, even at the ruin of princes and people. In the year
1204, Pope Innocent III. extracted from Peter II., king of Arragon, the
following extraordinary oath: “I, Peter, king of Arragonians, profess and
promise to be ever faithful and obedient to my lord, Pope Innocent, to his
Catholic successors, and the Roman Church, and faithfully to preserve my
kingdom in his obedience, defending the Catholic faith, and persecuting
heretical pravity.”(1021) This is in harmony with the claims regarding the
power of the Roman pontiff, that “it is lawful for him to depose
emperors,” and that “he can absolve subjects from their allegiance to
unrighteous rulers.”(1022)
And let it be remembered, it is the boast of Rome that she never changes.
The principles of Gregory VII. and Innocent III. are still the principles
of the Roman Catholic Church. And had she but the power, she would put
them in practice with as much vigor now as in past centuries. Protestants
little know what they are doing when they propose to accept the aid of
Rome in the work of Sunday exaltation. While they are bent upon the
accomplishment of their purpose, Rome is aiming to re-establish her power,
to recover her lost supremacy. Let the principle once be established in
the United States, that the church may employ or control the power of the
state; that religious observances may be enforced by secular laws; in
short, that the authority of church and state is to dominate the
conscience, and the triumph of Rome in this country is assured.
God’s word has given warning of the impending danger; let this be
unheeded, and the Protestant world will learn what the purposes of Rome
really are, only when it is too late to escape the snare. She is silently
growing into power. Her doctrines are exerting their influence in
legislative halls, in the churches, and in the hearts of men. She is
piling up her lofty and massive structures, in the secret recesses of
which her former persecutions will be repeated. Stealthily and
unsuspectedly she is strengthening her forces to further her own ends when
the time shall come for her to strike. All that she desires is
vantage-ground, and this is already being given her. We shall soon see and
shall feel what the purpose of the Roman element is. Whoever shall believe
and obey the word of God, will thereby incur reproach and persecution.
36. THE IMPENDING CONFLICT.
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From the very beginning of the great controversy in heaven, it has been
Satan’s purpose to overthrow the law of God. It was to accomplish this
that he entered upon his rebellion against the Creator; and though he was
cast out of heaven, he has continued the same warfare upon the earth. To
deceive men, and thus lead them to transgress God’s law, is the object
which he has steadfastly pursued. Whether this be accomplished by casting
aside the law altogether, or by rejecting one of its precepts, the result
will be ultimately the same. He that offends “in one point,” manifests
contempt for the whole law; his influence and example are on the side of
transgression; he becomes “guilty of all.”(1023)
In seeking to cast contempt upon the divine statutes, Satan has perverted
the doctrines of the Bible, and errors have thus become incorporated into
the faith of thousands who profess to believe the Scriptures. The last
great conflict between truth and error is but the final struggle of the
long-standing controversy concerning the law of God. Upon this battle we
are now entering,—a battle between the laws of men and the precepts of
Jehovah, between the religion of the Bible and the religion of fable and
tradition.
The agencies which will unite against truth and righteousness in this
contest are now actively at work. God’s holy word, which has been handed
down to us at such a cost of suffering and blood, is but little valued.
The Bible is within the reach of all, but there are few who really accept
it as the guide of life. Infidelity prevails to an alarming extent, not in
the world merely, but in the church. Many have come to deny doctrines
which are the very pillars of the Christian faith. The great facts of
creation as presented by the inspired writers, the fall of man, the
atonement, and the perpetuity of the law of God, are practically rejected,
either wholly or in part, by a large share of the professedly Christian
world. Thousands who pride themselves upon their wisdom and independence,
regard it an evidence of weakness to place implicit confidence in the
Bible; they think it a proof of superior talent and learning to cavil at
the Scriptures, and to spiritualize and explain away their most important
truths. Many ministers are teaching their people, and many professors and
teachers are instructing their students, that the law of God has been
changed or abrogated; and those who regard its requirements as still
valid, to be literally obeyed, are thought to be deserving only of
ridicule or contempt.
In rejecting the truth, men reject its Author. In trampling upon the law
of God, they deny the authority of the Lawgiver. It is as easy to make an
idol of false doctrines and theories as to fashion an idol of wood or
stone. By misrepresenting the attributes of God, Satan leads men to
conceive of Him in a false character. With many, a philosophical idol is
enthroned in the place of Jehovah; while the living God, as He is revealed
in His word, in Christ, and in the works of creation, is worshiped by but
few. Thousands deify nature, while they deny the God of nature. Though in
a different form, idolatry exists in the Christian world to-day as verily
as it existed among ancient Israel in the days of Elijah. The god of many
professedly wise men, of philosophers, poets, politicians,
journalists,—the god of polished fashionable circles, of many colleges and
universities, even of some theological institutions,—is little better than
Baal, the sun-god of Phenicia.
No error accepted by the Christian world strikes more boldly against the
authority of Heaven, none is more directly opposed to the dictates of
reason, none is more pernicious in its results, than the modern doctrine,
so rapidly gaining ground, that God’s law is no longer binding upon men.
Every nation has its laws, which command respect and obedience; no
government could exist without them; and can it be conceived that the
Creator of the heavens and the earth has no law to govern the beings He
has made? Suppose that prominent ministers were publicly to teach that the
statutes which govern their land and protect the rights of its citizens
were not obligatory,—that they restricted the liberties of the people, and
therefore ought not to be obeyed; how long would such men be tolerated in
the pulpit? But is it a graver offense to disregard the laws of states and
nations than to trample upon those divine precepts which are the
foundation of all government?
It would be far more consistent for nations to abolish their statutes, and
permit the people to do as they please, than for the Ruler of the universe
to annul His law, and leave the world without a standard to condemn the
guilty or justify the obedient. Would we know the result of making void
the law of God? The experiment has been tried. Terrible were the scenes
enacted in France when atheism became the controlling power. It was then
demonstrated to the world that to throw off the restraints which God has
imposed is to accept the rule of the cruelest of tyrants. When the
standard of righteousness is set aside, the way is open for the prince of
evil to establish his power in the earth.
Wherever the divine precepts are rejected, sin ceases to appear sinful, or
righteousness desirable. Those who refuse to submit to the government of
God are wholly unfitted to govern themselves. Through their pernicious
teachings, the spirit of insubordination is implanted in the hearts of
children and youth, who are naturally impatient of control; and a lawless,
licentious state of society results. While scoffing at the credulity of
those who obey the requirements of God, the multitudes eagerly accept the
delusions of Satan. They give the rein to lust, and practise the sins
which have called down judgments upon the heathen.
Those who teach the people to regard lightly the commandments of God, sow
disobedience, to reap disobedience. Let the restraint imposed by the
divine law be wholly cast aside, and human laws would soon be disregarded.
Because God forbids dishonest practices, coveting, lying, and defrauding,
men are ready to trample upon His statutes as a hindrance to their worldly
prosperity; but the results of banishing these precepts would be such as
they do not anticipate. If the law were not binding, why should any fear
to transgress? Property would no longer be safe. Men would obtain their
neighbors’ possessions by violence; and the strongest would become
richest. Life itself would not be respected. The marriage vow would no
longer stand as a sacred bulwark to protect the family. He who had the
power, would, if he desired, take his neighbor’s wife by violence. The
fifth commandment would be set aside with the fourth. Children would not
shrink from taking the life of their parents, if by so doing they could
obtain the desire of their corrupt hearts. The civilized world would
become a horde of robbers and assassins; and peace, rest, and happiness
would be banished from the earth.
Already the doctrine that men are released from obedience to God’s
requirements has weakened the force of moral obligation, and opened the
flood-gates of iniquity upon the world. Lawlessness, dissipation, and
corruption are sweeping in upon us like an overwhelming tide. In the
family, Satan is at work. His banner waves, even in professedly Christian
households. There is envy, evil surmising, hypocrisy, estrangement,
emulation, strife, betrayal of sacred trusts, indulgence of lust. The
whole system of religious principles and doctrines, which should form the
foundation and framework of social life, seems to be a tottering mass,
ready to fall to ruin. The vilest of criminals, when thrown into prison
for their offenses, are often made the recipients of gifts and attentions,
as if they had attained an enviable distinction. Great publicity is given
to their character and crimes. The press publishes the revolting details
of vice, thus initiating others into the practice of fraud, robbery, and
murder; and Satan exults in the success of his hellish schemes. The
infatuation of vice, the wanton taking of life, the terrible increase of
intemperance and iniquity of every order and degree, should arouse all who
fear God, to inquire what can be done to stay the tide of evil.
Courts of justice are corrupt. Rulers are actuated by desire for gain, and
love of sensual pleasure. Intemperance has beclouded the faculties of
many, so that Satan has almost complete control of them. Jurists are
perverted, bribed, deluded. Drunkenness and revelry, passion, envy,
dishonesty of every sort, are represented among those who administer the
laws. “Justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and
equity cannot enter.”(1024)
The iniquity and spiritual darkness that prevailed under the supremacy of
Rome were the inevitable result of her suppression of the Scriptures; but
where is to be found the cause of the wide-spread infidelity, the
rejection of the law of God, and the consequent corruption, under the full
blaze of gospel light in an age of religious freedom? Now that Satan can
no longer keep the world under his control by withholding the Scriptures,
he resorts to other means to accomplish the same object. To destroy faith
in the Bible serves his purpose as well as to destroy the Bible itself. By
introducing the belief that God’s law is not binding, he as effectually
leads men to transgress as if they were wholly ignorant of its precepts.
And now, as in former ages, he has worked through the church to further
his designs. The religious organizations of the day have refused to listen
to unpopular truths plainly brought to view in the Scriptures, and in
combating them they have adopted interpretations and taken positions which
have sown broadcast the seeds of skepticism. Clinging to the papal error
of natural immortality and man’s consciousness in death, they have
rejected the only defense against the delusions of Spiritualism. The
doctrine of eternal torment has led many to disbelieve the Bible. And as
the claims of the fourth commandment are urged upon the people, it is
found that the observance of the seventh-day Sabbath is enjoined; and as
the only way to free themselves from a duty which they are unwilling to
perform, many popular teachers declare that the law of God is no longer
binding. Thus they cast away the law and the Sabbath together. As the work
of Sabbath reform extends, this rejection of the divine law to avoid the
claims of the fourth commandment will become well-nigh universal. The
teachings of religious leaders have opened the door to infidelity, to
Spiritualism, and to contempt for God’s holy law; and upon these leaders
rests a fearful responsibility for the iniquity that exists in the
Christian world.
Yet this very class put forth the claim that the fast-spreading corruption
is largely attributable to the desecration of the so-called “Christian
sabbath,” and that the enforcement of Sunday observance would greatly
improve the morals of society. This claim is especially urged in America,
where the doctrine of the true Sabbath has been most widely preached. Here
the temperance work, one of the most prominent and important of moral
reforms, is often combined with the Sunday movement, and the advocates of
the latter represent themselves as laboring to promote the highest
interest of society; and those who refuse to unite with them are denounced
as the enemies of temperance and reform. But the fact that a movement to
establish error is connected with a work which is in itself good, is not
an argument in favor of the error. We may disguise poison by mingling it
with wholesome food, but we do not change its nature. On the contrary, it
is rendered more dangerous, as it is more likely to be taken unawares. It
is one of Satan’s devices to combine with falsehood just enough truth to
give it plausibility. The leaders of the Sunday movement may advocate
reforms which the people need, principles which are in harmony with the
Bible; yet while there is with these a requirement which is contrary to
God’s law, His servants cannot unite with them. Nothing can justify them
in setting aside the commandments of God for the precepts of men.
Through the two great errors, the immortality of the soul and Sunday
sacredness, Satan will bring the people under his deceptions. While the
former lays the foundation of Spiritualism, the latter creates a bond of
sympathy with Rome. The Protestants of the United States will be foremost
in stretching their hands across the gulf to grasp the hand of
Spiritualism; they will reach over the abyss to clasp hands with the Roman
power; and under the influence of this threefold union, this country will
follow in the steps of Rome in trampling on the rights of conscience.
As Spiritualism more closely imitates the nominal Christianity of the day,
it has greater power to deceive and ensnare. Satan himself is converted,
after the modern order of things. He will appear in the character of an
angel of light. Through the agency of Spiritualism, miracles will be
wrought, the sick will be healed, and many undeniable wonders will be
performed. And as the spirits will profess faith in the Bible, and
manifest respect for the institutions of the church, their work will be
accepted as a manifestation of divine power.
The line of distinction between professed Christians and the ungodly is
now hardly distinguishable. Church-members love what the world loves, and
are ready to join with them; and Satan determines to unite them in one
body, and thus strengthen his cause by sweeping all into the ranks of
Spiritualism. Papists, who boast of miracles as a certain sign of the true
church, will be readily deceived by this wonder-working power; and
Protestants, having cast away the shield of truth, will also be deluded.
Papists, Protestants, and worldlings will alike accept the form of
godliness without the power, and they will see in this union a grand
movement for the conversion of the world, and the ushering in of the
long-expected millennium.
Through Spiritualism, Satan appears as a benefactor of the race, healing
the diseases of the people, and professing to present a new and more
exalted system of religious faith; but at the same time he works as a
destroyer. His temptations are leading multitudes to ruin. Intemperance
dethrones reason; sensual indulgence, strife, and bloodshed follow. Satan
delights in war; for it excites the worst passions of the soul, and then
sweeps into eternity its victims steeped in vice and blood. It is his
object to incite the nations to war against one another; for he can thus
divert the minds of the people from the work of preparation to stand in
the day of God.
Satan works through the elements also to garner his harvest of unprepared
souls. He has studied the secrets of the laboratories of nature, and he
uses all his power to control the elements as far as God allows. When he
was suffered to afflict Job, how quickly flocks and herds, servants,
houses, children, were swept away, one trouble succeeding another as in a
moment. It is God that shields His creatures, and hedges them in from the
power of the destroyer. But the Christian world have shown contempt for
the law of Jehovah; and the Lord will do just what He has declared that He
would,—He will withdraw His blessings from the earth, and remove His
protecting care from those who are rebelling against His law, and teaching
and forcing others to do the same. Satan has control of all whom God does
not especially guard. He will favor and prosper some, in order to further
his own designs; and he will bring trouble upon others, and lead men to
believe that it is God who is afflicting them.